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Felix for Sports

I was just wondering, since we know that there is a professional Quidditch league, would they have the same problems as common baseball, basketball, etc. leagues around the world? Liker, would they be making millions of Galleons a year? My main question is if Felix Felices would be the magical equivalent to steroids or other such drugs?

Interesting idea. While Felix Felicitas might not be the most common drug to use in professional Quidditch (because, unlike steroids, it's very difficult and expensive to manufacture), it certainly might show up occasionally in important matches, like the QWC. But there are lots of other ways to use magic to cheat in Quidditch, so I'm sure the judges have to be on the lookout for all of them.

I don't have the book on me at the moment, so it's entirely possible I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure that Slughorn mentions this in HBP - something about Felix Felicitas being illegal in sporting competitions? It's when he's offering it as a prize - he mentions something about the winner having to just have 'a normal day' rather than competing in anything? Otherwise, surely Crouch/Moody would've just slipped Harry some during GoF...

I don't have the book on me at the moment, so it's entirely possible I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure that Slughorn mentions this in HBP - something about Felix Felicitas being illegal in sporting competitions? It's when he's offering it as a prize - he mentions something about the winner having to just have 'a normal day' rather than competing in anything? Otherwise, surely Crouch/Moody would've just slipped Harry some during GoF...

He did mention that Felix Felicitas is illegal in sporting competitions.

Although I'm skeptical that Rowling had actually thought of Felix Felicitas yet when she wrote GoF, Crouch/Moody probably would have given Harry some if he'd had any.

Except, of course, during the final competition. Because I doubt grabbing a Portkey that will transport you to Voldemort would have been Harry's idea of a fortunate turn of events.

I was just wondering, since we know that there is a professional Quidditch league, would they have the same problems as common baseball, basketball, etc. leagues around the world? Liker, would they be making millions of Galleons a year? My main question is if Felix Felices would be the magical equivalent to steroids or other such drugs?

I would suspect this would be the case. Famous Quidditch players would probably have huge salaries and get lots of money from endorsing products, like magical sports equipment or mundane things like toothpaste.

Felix Felicis would be a potent Quidditch performance enhancer, but as Inverarity said, it is quite hard to brew and very expensive. However, with kind the salaries players are likely to make, I don't think it would be too much of a problem to buy the potion from somebody who has already made a batch, assuming they aren't too principled. In addition to Felix Felicis, there are plenty of other potions or spells that can be used to cheat, like tampering with brooms, confunding opponents, that sort of thing.

Originally Posted by Inverarity

Although I'm skeptical that Rowling had actually thought of Felix Felicitas yet when she wrote GoF, Crouch/Moody probably would have given Harry some if he'd had any.

Except, of course, during the final competition. Because I doubt grabbing a Portkey that will transport you to Voldemort would have been Harry's idea of a fortunate turn of events.

And of course, if Harry had been given Felix for the Third task, that could help him escape once he was taken to Voldemort. However, Harry had enough of his own luck (and some deus ex machinas to help) to get away on his own.

But here's a thought: couldn't Crouch/Moody just take the felix potion himself, ensuring that his evil plans come together and succeed?

But here's a thought: couldn't Crouch/Moody just take the felix potion himself, ensuring that his evil plans come together and succeed?

For that matter, why didn't the Order brew batches of the stuff? Why didn't Voldemort have Snape making it for his Death Eaters? (Oh, that's right, he's too arrogant -- his followers don't need luck. )

Felix Felicitas is the ultimate deux ex machina, and one of Rowling's most ill-considered plot devices, in my opinion (ranking right up there with Time-Turners...).

Funny this is, seemingly the only real deterrent from using time turners and Felix Felicitas in the books is that it's generally frowned upon and not much else. Sure. you can get in trouble if they catch you, but what are the odds? It all seems to operate on a sort of honor system, but there are plenty of wizarding folk without that particular virtue. (Okay, that and it's a bad idea to accidentally run into yourself in the past lest you blow yourself to bits.)

Here's something to consider, what if you used the potion and the time turner at the same time? Talk about perfect possibilities.

As for Quidditch, I'm sure there are magical ways to test for such cheating as drinking Felix Felicitas. Perhaps the players have to pass through some kind of magical barrier onto the pitch, and if they turn a peculiar shade of lavender if they've "failed" the playing requirements. Maybe it would be a different symptom depending on the type of cheating. Just a thought.

It all seems to operate on a sort of honor system, but there are plenty of wizarding folk without that particular virtue.

Why is that the local police are not permitted to fire an arm unless the situation is reasonably dangerous? This is reinforced and practised under an honour system and even a legal system to an extent. I'm sure other things like that in the Muggle world are. There is certainly no way to detect underage magic, but it is restricted under the same honour system - parents are expected to see that the rule is followed.

Here's something to consider, what if you used the potion and the time turner at the same time? Talk about perfect possibilities.

But can a person use them at the same time? We don't appreciate the complexity that may be the wizarding world, we under-estimate their laws. Like the issue of not being able to create food out of thin air - yeah nobody will be hungry if they continued to increase the quantity of what they have but question is if somebody is poor and has only bread then how much bread would he want to consume? Perhaps we ought to be saying something along the possibility of someone being not well-fed not that they can't go without food at all.

In my opinion the Ministry should be given a little more credit. It's the place the regulates everything related to magic there is. I'm not sure time-turners are readily available to anyone who asks. As others mentioned the potion is a complex one and we can easily assume not many people can make it. Not many people in the wizarding world have the resources to have both the things at the same time.

But here's a thought: couldn't Crouch/Moody just take the felix potion himself, ensuring that his evil plans come together and succeed?

Crouch Jnr uses the Polyjuice potion but not Felix Felicis. Dumbledore never uses though I'm sure if he did it'd have been a cataylst to finding the horcrux(es). Snape isn't overcome by the temptation to make one in Harry's third year - I'm sure he was absolutely dying to lay his hands on Sirius. Lucius must be desperate after things started go bad for him with Voldemort to get some luck. But it's use is not prevalent. Slughorn is a different class of wizard. To him like Ollivander, power and control are at the same time both frightening and impressive notions. To characters like Crouch Jnr, Snape, Dumbledore it is not a matter of availability. These people are masters of their craft, they would rather use their knowledge, cunning, manipulation to get things done rather than brew a potion. It's just how intellectual men would operate regardless of what resources they have at their disposal.